New Girl In Town (Pricefield AU)
by tintinhaddock
Summary: Alternate Universe where Chloe is new to Arcadia Bay. The setting is Max's winter break. Chloe works as a barista at the local coffee shop.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Max woke with a start. "Oh, no way!" she exclaimed, looking at her clock. It was already 10:00 am. "I'm gonna be late to class!" She hurriedly threw the covers off her and got to her feet, only to realize that it was the first day of winter break. Wow Max, great job. Now you're stressed and freezing, she thought to herself. Climbing back in bed, she took a deep breath. It was calming to see the cool cloud emanating from her lips, even though it was just an indication of how chilly it was in her room. The only safe zone was her bed, and if she was quick, the showers.

She turned over, squinting at the calendar across her room. "Hm, got nothing planned. I could just stay in bed all day, and catch up on some shows. Netflix and chill, but I have no one to chill with." Max hadn't had much free time for the past few months. Teachers had been piling on projects and homework. It was a challenge just to keep up with the workload, let alone trying to have a social life.

*Ding!* Max's phone went off, snapping her back into reality. Glancing at it, she saw that it was a text from Warren. Max had half a mind to ignore it, but in the end she had to find out what he wanted. 'Hey mad max, want 2 hang in the coffee shop today?' 'Sure! I'll be there at 11.' She replied. At least it was something to do. Besides, this break would be so boring if she didn't do anything. Again, Max flung off her warm covers, and quickly grabbed some clothes and ran off to the showers.

When that was over with, Max headed back to her room to grab her camera bag, phone, and earbuds. After a couple minutes of searching for the later item, Max was out the door and off to the bus stop. Sadly, she had just missed it in the time she had spent looking for her headphones.

After about fifteen minutes, Max was on the next bus that had arrived. Thoroughly frozen and slightly annoyed, she quickly put on her headphones and turned on some calm music to enjoy for the rest of the trip. "I hope I'm not going to be late.." She thought out loud. It was already 10:45, and she had just gotten on to the bus.

After four and a half songs, Max's stop arrived in downtown Arcadia Bay. From the stop, it was just four blocks to the coffee shop. However, four blocks in the freezing cold makes it seem a lot longer than it is.

The crunching sound of the snow underneath her foot was always an enjoyable and calming thing to her. 'Even if it's fucking cold, I love winter. Almost as much as I love fall.' She thought. Max forgot about being late, subdued by the pitter pat of her walking.

'I wish there were two sets of those sounds. Close together, arms holding each other close for warmth.' Max thought to herself. When she arrived at Blackwell, she was hoping to meet someone that she felt she could really connect with. Someone who was interested in her as much as she was in them. So far, she hadn't had much luck. Besides, her workload in school made it nearly impossible anyways. 'Who knows, maybe I'll find someone during my winter break.'

Approaching the coffee shop, Max took her hands out of her pockets to check her watch. 10:56. 'See, there was no reason to stress about being late, silly.' She put one hand on the door handle, and the other reached to take off her hat. As she stepped inside, she was greeted with a rush of warm, coffee scented air. "Mm, that's hard to beat", she said aloud. She scanned the room for Warren, and saw him waving to her from the second floor balcony. He already had his computer open, and was no doubt in the middle of a quest in one of his games.

"Would you like something?"

Max turned her head quickly, to see who was talking. It was the barista, talking to the person in front of Max. She leaned her head, but still couldn't get a look at what the worker looked like. The voice sounded feminine, but that's all Max could get out of it. She had gone to this shop many times, and didn't recognize the voice. 'Must be new here', Max thought. The person in front of her started to order, and Max realized she should have something already in mind, as to not be a nuisance to the new employee.

'Hm, maybe just a cider?', Max pondered. She was still quite cold, and needed something to warm her up. '..and a chocolate muffin!' She knew how unhealthy they were, but it didn't matter right now. She was cold, on a break, and frankly couldn't give a fuck. Plus, she could always share it with Warren.

The person in front of her took their order, and shuffled off to the corner of the room to enjoy their snack. Max, looking towards the floor, slowly walked up to the counter. 'God Max, you don't have to be this fucking shy.' She told herself. But she couldn't help it, it was just who she was.

"Don't worry, I don't bite. Usually.", the barista said. Max started to order, while starting to look up at the worker. She was surprised to see the barista staring right at her. Suddenly Max cut off what she was saying, amazed by what she saw.

'Damn, she's really cute!' Max thought inwardly. The barista had dyed blue hair, several piercings, as well as a necklace with three bullets on it. She was wearing the required shop uniform, but she didn't look comfortable in it. 'She must be new in town, I've never seen her in Arcadia before. Who is she?' Max wondered.

"Um, so, do you want something?", the barista asked nervously. Max gulped, realizing just how long she had been staring at the worker. "Uh, I'll have a.. a c-cider please?", Max replied. 'Idiot, what are you doing? It's not supposed sound like a question!' Max scolded herself. She was messing this up pretty bad. "Cider? Uh, okay, sounds good! I'll bring it up to you when it's ready. It's 2.75$" Max fumbled around in her wallet for a few singles, as well as her punch card for the cafe. She handed over three dollars and a punch card, hands shaking. 'Why are you getting so worked up? Jeez, Max. Get a hang of yourself.' As the barista was getting the change and punching the card, Max took several deep breaths, trying to calm down.

"25 cents is your, uh, change. Here you go.", the barista handed over a quarter and a card, dropping the items into Max's out held hand. Max quickly stuffed them into her wallet and rushed up to the second floor to join Warren.

"Hey, Maximus Prime! What's going on?", Warren greeted her. Max didn't reply, just quickly reached for a chair and sat down across the table from him. "Hey, are you okay? You're as pale as a sheet!", he asked, a tad concerned. "I'm fine, Warren. Don't worry about it.", Max replied. "What are you up to?", trying to change the subject away from her. "Eh, not much, just farming to get some better weapons.", he replied nonchalantly. 'I don't see what agriculture has to do with weaponry, but I don't want to seem like a noob to him, so I better not ask.', Max thought to herself. "Nice!"

Their 'conversation' was quickly interrupted by the barista coming by the table to give Max her order. "Here you go, ..?", the barista said. "Max, and thank you! What's your name?", She replied. "Chloe. I'm still pretty new to this area, and this job. I'm still learning the ropes.", Chloe said. "Ah, okay. I thought as much, I didn't recognize you. I'm quite a regular here. Maybe a bit too regular, I guess.", Max said. "Cool! I'll be seeing you again soon then!", Chloe replied, as she turned to go back to the counter downstairs.

Max turned around in her chair, to face her cider, and Warren. "Who was that?", he asked. "Chloe. She's new around here.", Max replied quickly. A little too quickly. "Oh, I see!", Warren mocked, as he raised his eyebrows up and down. "That's why you were all worked up when you came up here, huh?", he said. 'Oh man, are you cereal? I go out to town for fun and this is what ends up happening?', Max thought. "No! I was just really cold from the walk outside, that's all!", she lied, looking down at her warm cider.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sliding her hands around the cup, Max welcomed the warm sensation from the cider. She couldn't bear to look up at Warren yet. She could feel her ears and cheeks burning from embarrassment. Warren actually suggested that she was interested in Chloe. 'I'm not even sure what I felt when I met her. I've never had that feeling for someone before.' *Sigh* "You wish, dork!", she quipped. Warren just flashed his cheeky smile and went back to his game, taking a quick gulp of his strawberry smoothie.

Max opened her mouth, about to change the subject, when her stomach growled angrily at her. 'Fuck! I forgot to order the muffin!', Max cursed at herself for her mistake.

'Well, at least I'll have an excuse to get to know her better!', she thought optimistically. "Hey Warren, I'm going to go get a muffin, want anything?", she asked him. "Oh, can't get enough, huh? I'm fine, thanks.", he teased. "Insert groan here.", she replied, getting up from the table.

She slowly headed downstairs, gripping the banister a bit harder than was necessary. As her foot stepped onto the bottom floor, Chloe welcomed her almost immediately. "Uh, hey Max! Do you, uh, want something?", she asked awkwardly. She was distressed about something. Max chalked it up to her new job. 'Must be stressful at a new job in a new job.' "Mhm! I'll have a ch-chocolate muffin, please." she asked. "One chocolate muffin coming up.", she replied, still sounding nervous.

She handed Max a slightly oversized chocolate muffin on a plate. As Max outstretched her hand to grab it, she saw that Chloe's hand was shaking, almost violently. "Chloe, are you okay?" Max asked, taking the plate and placing it on the counter. Chloe sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm just really nervous about not fucking up here. I can't afford to lose this job." "I understand that, Chloe. But you're doing a great job here! It'll get much better as time goes on. Try not to worry too much, Chloe. It's uphill from here.", Max said, trying to sound reassuring. "I sure hope it is, Max.", Chloe replied, sighing. "Thanks for that, Max. I feel a little better now, as least." "No problem, Chloe. Thanks for the muffin.", Max replied, smiling. She paid for the food, and headed back upstairs.

The rest of the time she spent in the coffee shop was fairly monotonous. Max spent a while talking about her favorite shows to Warren, and he responded by talking about his favorite video games. Occasionally she would just look out the windows, and stare for minutes at the mesmerizing snowfall. It was truly a beautiful time of year. She felt bad for Chloe. Max knew how hard it was to start a new job, especially when it's such a hard time to find open positions anymore.

*Ding!* Max's phone once again snapped her back into reality. Her alarm was going off, indicating that it was already 1pm. 'Wowser, that went by quick.', Max thought to herself. "Hey Warren, I'm going to go back to my dorm now.", she said. "Alright, catch ya later, Max!", Warren replied, actually looking up from his computer to see her go.

Once again, Max headed downstairs. Before leaving, she went to the counter to see Chloe. During the few hours she spent at the shop, Max had decided to make a plan with Chloe so she could try to get to know her better. She approached the counter slowly, feeling the nervousness building inside her. "Oh. Hey Max. Want something else?", Chloe asked. 'Well, here goes.' "Yeah, I guess so. I was wondering if you would want to hang out with me if you're free.", Max said, quite quickly. Chloe stared at Max, blinking a few times. 'Oh shit... I shouldn't have asked.' "Or not, you don't have to. I was just wondering.", Max added, looking at the floor, feeling a bit lightheaded. She looked up again, and saw a smile forming on Chloe's lips.

"Oh Max! I'd really like that. Thanks for asking me! Actually, I get off work at 1:30, would you be down to hang after that?", Chloe asked. Max relaxed, relieved that Chloe had accepted her offer. "Definitely!", she replied. Chloe went back to washing dishes, and Max slouched into the couch nearest the counter, closing her eyes. It was such a nice atmosphere in the shop. The small fireplace across the room, coupled with the light snowfall, really set a nice atmospheric scene. Max took out her old Polaroid from her bag, and took a quick shot of the room, then laid down on the couch again.

"Hey Max? You awake?"

Max felt a soft hand lightly shaking her shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes, to see Chloe right in front of her. "Wake up, sleepyhead! It's 1:30, let's jet!", Chloe said. Max groaned, getting to her feet. "I can't believe I fell asleep! I'm so sorry, Chloe!", Max apologized, hoping that Chloe wouldn't be too annoyed with her. "Haha, it's okay, Max. Besides, you're pretty cute when you're asleep." 'Oh my dog! She actually called me cute!' "Oh, hehe! Thanks, I think.", Max replied, her nervousness showing.

Max grabbed her camera bag, put on her scarf, and followed Chloe out of the shop. The brisk air was welcome, a nice change from the stuffy interior. "Whoo! It's fucking cold!", Chloe exclaimed. "So what do you want to do? I'm down for anything." "Well, I was thinking we could just go on a walk and get to know each other better. Unless you have another idea.", Max suggested. "Sure, that sounds good." They started walking down the sidewalks, talking about anything and everything. From childhood adventures, to future plans, to favorite types of coffee. Max finally had someone she wanted to spend her break with.

They had been walking and talking for hours, and the outside temperature was dropping. Max checked her phone, and it showed 6:47pm. "Hey, there's a bus stop over there. Want to come to my dorm room and we can watch a movie or something?", she suggested. 'Jeez, Max. You're really pushing your luck here.. be careful.', she thought to herself. To her surprise, Chloe agreed, "Sure, Super Max! Sounds like a plan." They trudged through the snow, to the bus stop, and had a short wait for the next bus.

By the time they got off the bus at Blackwell, the sun had set, and it was getting darker by the minute. Max showed Chloe into the dorms, and to her room. Max fumbled for her room key, her fingers numb from the cold. Once she got the door open after a few tries, she went straight for the space heater on her floor. Max turned it on, and shed her coat and hung it up on a hanger. Chloe was hesitantly waiting by the doorway. "Come on in, Chloe! I don't bite.", Max teased, flashing Chloe a smile. Chloe came in, and sat down on Max's bed.

Max took a couple minutes setting up, which entailed unloading her camera and pictures from her back, finding and turning on her computer, and getting a few more blankets for the bed. When she was busy doing the later task, she heard Chloe exclaim,"Amazeballs. This is _sooo_ comfy!" Max turned around, a couple blankets draped over her arm, and laughed. Chloe was all tucked up in Max's bed, ready for some movie watching.

Max, eager to hop into bed with Chloe, had to restrain herself. 'First things first, Maxine. Don't get ahead of yourself.', she warned. She bent down and shut off the space heater, since the room was starting to warm up. Max then then playfully threw the blankets at Chloe. "Put these on the bed while I get the computer ready, silly.", she said, laughing.

Once Max had grabbed her computer from under a pile of homework, Chloe had neatly spread the blankets over her bed. Max plopped the computer on her bed, and then slid quickly into her bed as well, next to Chloe. She propped up her pillow to lay against, and turned on her laptop. "What do you want to watch?", she asked Chloe.

"Mm, I dunno. You can decide.", Chloe responded, already sounding a bit drowsy. Max smiled. Chloe was pretty cute when she was tired. Not that she wasn't cute all the time. Her multiple shades of blue hair shimmered against the light emanating from the screen. For a moment Max just stared at the blue-haired woman in her bed. Max turned her head away, and quickly selected a movie from the list of her favorites.

The movie spent a few moments buffering, and then is started playing. Max leaned back, and enjoyed the moment. She was so happy that she had decided to ask Chloe out today. It seemed to brighten up Chloe's otherwise stressful day. Max sighed, and closed her eyes and listened. She listened to the sounds coming from her computer, the sounds of the wind striking her window, and the soft snoring sound originating from the girl in bed with her.


End file.
